Obama Pledges "Enduring And Revitalized Alliance" With Japan

Tokyo, Japan — Touting himself as America’s “first Pacific president,” President Obama called on his own connections with Asia on Saturday as he pledged a renewed engagement with Asia Pacific nations based on “an enduring and revitalized alliance between the United States and Japan.”

Obama, in his first Asia trip since taking office in January, arrived Saturday in Singapore to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

In addition to the meetings with the APEC heads of state, Obama plans to hold three bilateral meetings with the leaders of Russia, Indonesia and Singapore.

Earlier, Obama told a packed house at Tokyo’s Suntory Hall that all Americans should know that what happens in Asia “has a direct effect on our lives at home.”

“This is where we engage in much of our commerce and buy many of our goods,” he said. “And this is where we can export more of our own products and create jobs back home in the process.